Gents:
Re-examined the Fulton K1550 winch today and it
seems to function fine. I thought there was enough
play on the winch crank shaft (due to a cracked
bushing) to slip the sprocket out of alignment
with the pawl.
But after comparing it to the same 1550 winch on
my raising fixture, they both appear to have the
same play; not enough to slip the sprocket past
the pawl, but they shaft does move.
I spoke with U.S. Tower and Fulton as well as a
few reflectee's and the concensus was that the
slip was due to ice build-up on the winch
sprocket. My best guess is that the exposed
sprocket teeth were loaded with ice and didn't
allow the pawl to re-engage after the first click.
I'm not absolutely sure what caused it, but I
think it's good advice to visually check the winch
pawl and sprocket for ice or debris before you
crank it. The usual pulley / cable inspection goes
without saying.
The good news is that this kind of fall was not
like a cable break or free-fall. There was enough
resistance to slow it down so no damage to the
tower. Hope my mishap helps others to take a
second look at tower saftey.
Thanks for all the help...
73, Tony - KT2Q
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